The Hummingbird Collective guarantees access to a pathway from classroom to careers for Northeast India’s most marginalised children to lead, shape, and serve the world around them.
A community-funded movement. Every contribution goes directly to the children.
Foundations · 2017
Majuli, the world's largest inhabited river island, faces recurring floods, geographic isolation, and limited access to meaningful educational opportunities.
In this context, The Hummingbird School emerged through the collective effort of the Mising community of Kulamua and 18 neighbouring villages, who donated bamboo, timber, land, and labour to build a school for their own children.
19 villages came together to build The Hummingbird School.
What do we do
What started as one school built by many hands of the community on a river island in Assam has become the seed of something much bigger. We are on a mission to build a network of schools across Northeast India, ensuring that children from underserved communities have access to meaningful, joyful and high-quality education rooted in their local context.
Alongside our schools, we design and run projects that support children and young people throughout their learning journey.
Why we do what we do
Northeast India is home to over 45 million people across eight states, with more than 200 indigenous communities and hundreds of languages, dialects and rich knowledge systems. It is one of the most culturally diverse regions in the world. Yet, despite this richness, many children continue to grow up without equitable access to quality education and opportunities for employment.
2×
Youth unemployment in most Northeastern states is over twice the national average (10%): Nagaland 27%, Manipur 23%, Arunachal Pradesh 21%.
PLFS 2023-24
7 in 10
In Assam, roughly 7 in 10 Class III students cannot do basic subtraction.
ASER 2024
1 in 6
In Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, and Mizoram, roughly 1 in 6 secondary students drop out, well above India's 11.5% average.
UDISE+ 2024-25
Impact · The Collective · as of 2026
Schools
408
Students being educated (K–12)
2
Schools
Scale
500+
Teachers trained
200
Partner govt. schools in Majuli
The way forward
A pipeline from primary education to a world-class residential secondary academy, designed to produce 1,500 capable, principled young leaders who will collectively impact 1.5 million lives across the Northeast.
Step 1 · Primary
5 schools
K – Grade 8
A chain of Hummingbird Schools across the Northeast, providing residential education to children of the most marginalised communities.
1,500
Children at full capacity
Step 2 · Secondary
The Academy
Grade 9 – 12
A world-class interdisciplinary residential secondary school for high-potential underserved students from across the Northeast.
600
Scholars at full capacity
Step 3 · Impact
Regional leaders
From 2031
150 graduates every year as job creators, policy actors, and innovators, leading the Northeast from the inside.
1.5M
Lives impacted by 2040
The pipeline rests on a simple multiplier: 1 capable, principled leader will impact ~1,000 people across their lifetime. 1,500 leaders ⟶ 1.5 million lives.
The Pedagogy of Inquiry
At the Hummingbird Schools, learning happens through projects, collaboration, reflection, and real-world experiences that connect students with the world around them.
From bamboo craft to knitting circles and other Highlight Classes, students connect with themselves and their environment while developing creativity, confidence, and practical life skills.
From Hummingbird theatre productions to storytelling circles and essay workshops, children investigate ideas through how they tell them.
Behind The Scenes
Theatre, sport, residential life, festivals, and the slow rhythms of an island, learning is inseparable from how we live here.
AMMO · The Festival
A student-led literary and cultural initiative celebrating storytelling, creativity, and dialogue, programmed, staged, and curated by the students themselves.
Featured Film
A closer look into the classrooms, conversations, creativity, and community that shape life at the Hummingbird School, Majuli.
Watch a film
The Collective
What began as a community-built school in Majuli is now part of a broader ecosystem of learning initiatives across the North-East.
Majuli
The flagship inquiry-driven school and residential learning community.
Arunachal Pradesh
A residential learning initiative for Puroik children in Arunachal Pradesh.
Upcoming
An interdisciplinary secondary academy focused on leadership, inquiry, and social responsibility.
Student-led
A literary and cultural festival celebrating storytelling, creativity, and community.
Backed by partners
Foundations, institutions, and friends who support our schools and the projects around them, from the school library to the youth project, with community-rooted education at the centre.
Partner with us · partnerships@ayang.org.in
The Journey
Hummingbird continues to grow through relationships, collaboration, shared learning, and collective effort. Pick the path that fits how you want to engage.
Partner
Schools & institutions
Schools, NGOs, and universities working with us on shared programmes.
Support
Fund a child, a year, a wing
Underwrite a scholarship, a library, or an entire year of learning.
Work with us
Teach with us
Open roles for inquiry-driven educators across grades and subjects.
The Hummingbird Collective continues to grow through the contributions of educators, families, artists, mentors, local communities, and supporters who believe in nurturing thoughtful and compassionate young people.
